As one of Britain’s leading landscape artists, Peter Symonds is undeniably a master at capturing the scale and awe of dramatic landscape vistas. Through his paintings we are taken on a breathtaking journey through some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes: from the sweeping glens of the Scottish Highlands and the dramatic high cliffs of the Devon & Cornwall coast, to the idyllic, picturesque villages of Surrey & Sussex and the warm, quiet majesty of historic Morocco.

Peter was born in Surrey in 1964. As a self-taught artist, Peter started painting professionally following his graduation from Leicester University at the age of twenty-two. Working exclusively in oils on canvas, Peter is primarily a landscape painter. He is identified most closely with his views of the Sussex and Surrey countryside close to his home and studio, but is also widely celebrated as a painter of the English Lake District and the Scottish Highlands. In addition to the picturesque rivers, mountains and coastlines of the British Isles, Peter achieves great variety and scope travelling to and painting wild and remote places around the world.

Peter’s paintings are informed by a love of the great outdoors, and he is a keen admirer of the great traditional landscape painters, particularly those painting in Britain and France towards the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In this tradition, he continually seeks to achieve more than just topographical accuracy, and to create mood and atmosphere through the mastery of tone and light.

Whilst Peter is undeniably a master at capturing dramatic landscape vistas, this is not at the expense of delicate and intimate subject matter. A number of works depict human life either through figures at the beach or the depiction of homes and villages, boats and harbours. Such gentle rendering of human existence living in harmony with the nature Peter portrays, is surely one example of his versatility and immense talent as a landscape artist. Whether it is a spectacular panorama or a snapshot of British rural life, the range within his oeuvre is extensive.

It is often that in braving the most severe of conditions at inhospitable times, Peter is able to find truly breathtaking scenes that stimulate him to craft his exceptional paintings, allowing us the viewers, a glimpse into what this beautiful world can really offer.

“My senses tend to go into overdrive when I gaze down onto a stunning scene like this, and it can be difficult to move on and know that henceforth that view will be confined to memory. My compulsion to paint landscapes is primarily a reaction to somehow trying to record my feelings of awe and wonder before such places, but is also a way of allowing those impressions to linger a little longer during the process of painting them. In doing so it can sometimes feel a rather self-indulgent profession, but if a painting can somehow also convey an artist’s real appreciation of the natural wonders of our world, then perhaps that painter’s time may be considered well spent.” – Peter Symonds.

His latest collection of paintings captures the majesty of the Scottish Highlands around one of Peter’s favourite places to paint; Loch Torridon. Pinned to the wall in Peter’s studio is a map of the Highlands with each summit that he has climbed marked in red. It stands as a constant reminder to Peter of his passion for mountaineering which when combined with his tremendous painting skill creates mesmerising works that reflect his deep understanding of the natural world.

Peter’s innate skill at finding the most tranquil scenes throughout our green and pleasant land, and capturing them on canvas, serves to remind us why we all love this country. It is this quality, when combined with his tremendous painting skill that makes his paintings both enjoyable and collectable.

Peter has completed a wide variety of commissions, both for private collectors and for companies. His work has been widely exhibited, and features in numerous prestigious collections in the UK and around the world. The Fine Art publishers Solomon and Whitehead have reproduced a number of Peter’s paintings, bringing his work to a far wider audience.

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